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Old 6th Jun 2008, 10:23
  #41 (permalink)  
Brian Abraham
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Sale, Australia
Age: 80
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Info gleaned with no comment to accuracy etc etc. Apply all caveats.

The pilots were a local captain (Reasonably experienced, but only a couple of hundred hours on type. He was instrument rated on a 412, and had a CPL) and deputy ops officer as copilot (Experienced and fully qualified, but only flew occasionally, and then mainly due to shortage of pilots.) Picked up 3 passengers to take to an island, one being the minister of police and brother of the president. He apparently insisted on getting in to the copilots seat, and John Hanley, the copilot, reluctantly got in the back. As they left the lit up area they were cleared from 1000 ft to 1500. The radar trace shows they climbed somewhat erratically to 2000ft, slowed to 40kt, then descended rapidly off the screen. It took 8 hours to find the wreckage, which appears to have crashed into shallow water in a flat attitude with no forward speed, possibly with engines off. One theory is that it somehow got into a vortex ring. The air force has taken over the investigation, and have the flight and voice recorders, don't know if cause will be released as it may be deemed to be embarrassing to the royal family.
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